Piano

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I'm back! Woo!

A little story I made up after finding out Wes and Courtney were roommates at one point in time mixed with Courtney and Wes's musical backgrounds.

The sounds of piano notes echoed throughout the apartment, and I recognised the tune as Elastic Heart. Courtney must be learning a new piece. The notes were singular at first, playing one at a time, then the harmony, and then the bass clef adding a background to create a pleasing, calm ambience that I could easily float in.

The music was muffled from my room, and I wouldn't have noticed if my headphones were on. I've found myself gaming less and less recently; just to catch the chance to hear her play.

"And another one bites the dust. But why can I not conquer love?" She began, quiet but audible. I sat on my bed and listened to her melody for a few lines before I decided to join her.

I quietly snuck out of my room and walked to her room. I pressed my ear against the white wood of the door.

There was more confidence now. She riffed almost as Sia would, and I could hear her strain slightly to reach the high notes. It sounded a little raspier but it added to the emotion. I fished my phone from my pocket and prepared to record her. I very, very slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Blonde hair was always the first thing I noticed when I saw Courtney. It was bright and colourful, a happy colour. Next, I was reminded how small she was. Yes, I saw her every day since I lived with her, but it still surprises me a little. Maybe it's because I'm massive in comparison. Her back was facing me. I looked at her hands, fingers splayed over black and white keys. Unfortunately, we can't get a grand piano. Our landlord won't allow it and even if she did, we wouldn't be able to get it in the apartment. I pressed my ear against the white wood of the door and heard her crescendo into the chorus.

"But I've got thick skin, and an elastic heart. But your blade it might be too sharp." I watched in awe. Watching her sing was always a heart-swelling experience. I couldn't help but smile and subconsciously bury my phone back in one of my many pockets, the recording forgotten about.

Standing at the doorway, I observed her sing through the song. Time was slow, yet the song was over too fast and I wanted to hear more. However, I decided that I should make myself noticed.

"Hello, Wesley boy." She looked at me after I cleared my throat.

"Hi, Courtney. That was good." My statement did not capture how beautiful it was, but I think she knew.

"Thank you." She smiled and looked down at the keyboard, her happy hair falling down on her cheeks. I grabbed a chair and put it next to her stool. I had to look down on her as I was too tall.

"Lemme try." I smiled. She looked at me uncertainly. "I have big hands. I can reach all the notes." I was enthusiastic to try, to make music alongside her.

"You're also clumsy as hell. And you can't read music."

"That..." I started a defence against her accusations but they trailed away as I thought more in detail. "...is accurate." We both giggled. Our soft laughter together was almost a song in itself, a joyful, high-pitched tune. "Help me."

Her eyes flickered to the piano, then to me. "Okay." She nodded and smiled, shuffling her seat to the side a little to make room for me. "Straighten your back." I did so, my shoulders becoming broader in the process, resulting in our arms touching. She was warm.

"Put your fingers on this note, this note and this note." Courtney pointed to each one as she instructed. I did so awkwardly. "No." She giggled. "Like this." Her right hand gracefully fell onto the keys and I coped. Or rather, tried to.

"This is hard." I pouted. I received an eye roll before she gently grabbed each finger and corrected them, then angled my hand so it wasn't as uncomfortable.

"Like this." Her voice was slightly softer now. "And gently press down. Use your wrist a little."

I did so, and it made a nice sound. The harmony was pretty and I giggled. "I did it!" I exclaimed in celebration. "What's the next one?"

We spent some time learning the song, even establishing different parts to sing. We started slow, eventually upping the speed when we were confident. It was so fun.

Courtney announced that we go through the song from the top. I got a little nervous, but kept my calm. "1...2...3...4." She counted in tempo. The beginning notes floated out from the keyboard as her fingers pressed on each key. I joined and smiled excitedly at the amazing combination. We continued on, singing verse after verse then uniting at the chorus.

I looked at her as I sung, feeling comfortable enough to let my hand keep playing without visual guidance. She had her eyes closed as she sung, her head swaying and shaking a little as she sang, and her happy hair followed.

Feeling bold, I experimented with a harmony to the song. She opened her eyes and looked at me in shock, but didn't stop. The harmony worked gorgeously. We both smiled and continued. Since I'd found the right measure to harmonise in, it was easy to keep it going.

There were a few mess-ups on my part, both vocally and with the piano. But I did well considering that I was improvising and playing a new instrument.

The song got quieter and quieter as we reached the end, and we faded out on the last line. I decided to join her in unison rather than harmonise.

"'Cause I've got an elastic heart."

We met eyes and smiled.

"That was so cool. Thank you, Courtney."

"No problem, Wessie." She did that silly voice which made me laugh. I kept staring at her. She was looking somewhere else, giving me a pretty side profile of her face, framed by happy blonde. Then she gasped.

"Shit, I'm late for the sketch." Exclaiming, she stood and kissed my head. "Sorry, Wes, I'll see you later." Then she ran out. The last sound I heard was the door slamming shut, presumably because of her rushed state.

Silence filled the room. I looked at the piano and played my notes again, but they sounded empty without the main melody and singing. Thoughts filled my brain; I was inspired by the music. I stood, went to my room and opened up my laptop. Time to get to work.

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